He’s only played three games for the club but Scott McDonald has seen enough to convince him Brisbane Roar are capable of being a ‘smoky’ for the Hyundai A-League title.
McDonald is enjoying a new lease of life in Brisbane after signing an 18-month contract with Robbie Fowler’s side last month.
And he’s joined a Roar outfit that appears to be finding their mojo, with last Friday’s 1-0 loss to Champions Sydney FC their first defeat in five matches.
That performance and Roar’s recent purple patch of form has been enough fill the 36-year-old with the belief the men in Orange are only going to get stronger the longer the 2019/20 Season goes.
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Asked how far Roar can go this campaign, the former Celtic star told Brisbane’s official website: “My mind says all the way.
“I think you have to have that mindset or what’s the point of playing?
“After a difficult start to the season for the team – from what I’ve seen and what the boys have said, we were playing some good football but just couldn’t get the results – and that’s turned in recent weeks.
“Hopefully we can build on that albeit a disappointing result against Sydney [FC] in the end, but we felt that we should’ve got something from that.
“We’ve got to take more positives and any negatives out of that and push onto this big game against Adelaide which is crucial moving forward.”
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Roar are currently sitting in seventh spot, two points outside the top six but with a game in hand.
If they can beat Adelaide United at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, they will move into the finals spots for the first time since Round 1.
McDonald’s big-game experience and ability is going to be key to Roar’s hopes of reaching the Finals Series over the last couple of months of the regular season.
But he’s also enjoying the mentoring role he has taken on at the club, helping Roar’s young attackers like Mirza Muratovic and Dylan Wenzel-Halls.
“It’s important that you continue to focus on your own game…but as we go along, the likes of Mirz (Muratovic) and Dylan and a few others, you’re here to give advice,” McDonald said.
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“For them to lean on your experience a little bit and hopefully you can help them become better players.
“We want as a football club for these young players to come through and be successful and push on and have a great career at Brisbane and beyond.”
Roar are without defender Scott Neville for the clash with the Reds as he serves a one-game suspension.
After a 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix in their last match at Suncorp Stadium, Roar are chasing back-to-back wins at their home venue for the first time since March 2018.
Kick-off at Suncorp on Saturday night is 6.30pm local time (7.30pm AEDT).
